NDDC: Isoko Group Hails Buhari on Enlargement of IMC, Support Sack of Nunieh

The Isoko Change Advocates (ICA) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for enlarging the number of the Interim Management Committee members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying that the workload of the forensic audit is very tedious and needs more hands and time to be done thoroughly.

ICA in a press statement signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Ernest Obi, and made available to newsmen, also said the decision of the President to enlarge the IMC from three to five members is not just a step in the right direction but needs commendation.

The group also stated that the sack of the Acting Managing Director, Dr. Joi Nunieh is a welcome development as corrupt individuals must not be accommodated in the new Nigeria that President Buhari is building.

ICA while congratulating the newly appointed members of the IMC, however, cautioned the new Acting Managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei to work closely with other members of the IMC and vigorously pursue the vision of President Buhari for the development of the Niger Delta region.

The statement reads in part, “the Isoko Change Advocates is very pleased with Mr. President for enlarging the NDDC Interim Management Committee. Following the high handedness and corruption that was practiced by previous boards of the Commission, the job of auditing the NDDC and restore normalcy into the interventionist agency so it could fulfill its mission for the Niger Delta region, is highly tedious and needs more hands and time to accomplish.

“We want to also state categorically that ICA supports the sack of the former acting Managing Director, Barr. Joy Nunieh, who allegedly forged some of her credentials, and is a contractor in NDDC, an agency under audit. The Buhari Administration greatly frowns on corruption, so no corrupt public official should be condoned. Therefore, we congratulate all the members (old and new) of the IMC led by Prof. K. D Pondei, the Acting Managing Director. We want to, however, caution the newly appointed acting Managing Director to work cooperatively with the members of the IMC, especially those who are already doing the tedious work of auditing the mismanagement and misappropriation of funds by the previous boards of the Commission. This will help to quickly reposition the NDDC so it can fulfill the vision of Mr. President for the Niger Delta people.

“ICA reiterates that there are thousands of abandoned and shoddily executed projects of the NDDC littering all over Niger Delta that needs immediate attention so that the people of the region can benefit from them.

“May we at this point commend the Project Auditing Committee headed by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the acting Executive Director projects for a job well done. Based on its factual and result oriented way of addressing nagging issues, many contractors who deliberately abandoned projects after collecting money from NDDC are returning to site to complete those projects. This is what we desire as a region, so we must commend Mr. President for ordering the audit of the NDDC under the Interim Management Committee”.